The Secret
by HughSoSexy
Summary: "And then it happened. He made a proposal, at least she was pretty sure it was him... He knew she wanted it, and he'd wanted it with her for years. So what was the harm in sleeping together – no strings attached. Just their little secret."


A/N: Hi all! It's been a while since I uploaded a new Lie To Me fic, and I was needing a fix! Hopefully some of you are looking for a fix as well. : ) This has been on my computer for several months and I just rediscovered it today. It's a bit different than anything else I've done before, but I love it and I hope you will too. It's intended to be a one-shot...though I'm leaving the story as 'in progress' just incase. I hope you enjoy!

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><p>Gillian Foster sat in her living room early in the morning, her body drowning in the big sweatshirt she'd taken from Cal one of the last times he was over. She had a large cup of coffee in hand which was helping her to wake up from their personal late night excursion. He'd gotten up early and headed home to get ready for work. So she decided to get up and on with her day as well.<p>

She had her legs tucked under her while she sat in her large comfy chair, one elbow sitting on the armrest as her hands held the cup close enough to her face that she could feel the steam rolling off the hot liquid. She had her eyes slightly squinted and she was looking out her front window, marveling at how quiet her neighborhood was this early in the morning. If they'd gotten up just a little earlier, they could have watched the sun rise.

Glancing over at the clock, Gillian pulled herself from her self-defined meaningless thoughts and got up to get ready for work. Once she was in the shower, her mind wandered back to several weeks ago when everything began. She couldn't really remember how it had started, or who had suggested it for that matter.

What she did remember, was that she and Cal had been alone in the office late one night after she'd been stood up. She scoffed simply remembering that jerk who had fed her every possible line, and then just didn't bother to show up. He had been working her for weeks to the point that she was aroused just by hearing his name. And then he stood her up. The bastard.

She was sitting on the couch in her office, wearing a little black dress no man in his right mind would say no to. He knew exactly what he had done to her, and then he left her waiting in her office for him to show up for hours.

Finally, Cal had walked by. He asked what she was doing there, and after his persistent questions she finally caved and told him the story. He could deduce by the tight curves, the perfect hair, and amazing shoes she wasn't planning on spending the night alone.

And then it happened. He made a proposal, at least she was pretty sure it was him... He knew she wanted it, and he'd wanted it with her for years. So what was the harm in sleeping together – no strings attached. Just their little secret.

The next thing she knew he had her up against the wall with her legs wrapped around his waist as he pushed into her again and again, causing her to curse his name. When they finished, she straightened the pictures on the wall, put back the one lamp they'd knocked over, and they both walked to their own cars. They said good night and each went home alone.

The next morning, no one was the wiser. They both tested the waters with each other, and when they found it seemed nothing had changed, they carried on as if nothing had happened.

And they'd been carrying on like this for three weeks. Quickies in Cal's office, long screw sessions in Gillian's bed, sex on the dining room table at Cal's. You name it, they'd been there and done it. And still, no one knew. They had somehow managed to cross the line with one foot, maintaining a firm stance with the other foot where, by every logical argument, they should be. They were straddling the line that existed between friends and a relationship, and they were doing it perfectly. It was as if they'd both become expert tightrope walkers.

And then it happened.

###############

"Gil, I'm headed out to talk to Mr. Moneybags' wife, see if I can't get a rise out of her, if you know what I mean," he said with a suggestive raise of his eyebrows as he stepped in close to her.

She smirked at him and simply said, "Ok. Let me know how it goes."

Her eyes widened and she stepped back into the wall in the instant she saw he was leaning in to kiss her.

She put her hand on his chest, pushing him away and said, "Not here!" in a hushed tone.

"Why not?" he casually asked.

"People could see!" she replied, her frantic voice higher than normal.

"Why does it matter?" he wondered aloud.

"Because that's not what we agreed on." She swallowed when she saw the mood shift in his eyes. They seemed darker, and not in the way they got dark when she started stripping.

"Maybe I want to change the rules," he replied, taking a half step toward her.

"Maybe I don't. We agreed – this is just sex." She could see the hurt behind his eyes, and all she could seem to do was take very shallow breaths.

After looking at her for a moment, he stalked off, sauntering more than usual with more venom in his eyes, daring anyone to cross his path. He was a raging bull ready to charge at the smallest flash of red.

And who could blame him, really? Yes, they had originally agreed it was just going to be sex. And it was – mind-blowing, spine-tingling, toe-curling sex that didn't spill into any other facets of their lives. It was clean cut and simple.

That was how it started, but once he had a taste he was hooked – always looking for his next fix, his next high, always needing more than the time before to satisfy him. He wanted all of her, and in some corner of his twisted mind, he thought if they started having sex with no strings attached that she would eventually come around. He thought she would be the first one to broach the subject, she was supposed to have been the one to ask for more.

But she never did. And it appeared she wanted nothing more than what they had.

Pulling into the driveway of their current client, he felt sorry for the woman he was about to question. He was a man scorned. The woman he'd wanted for years just told him no, and he needed to take it out on someone. This poor lady didn't stand a chance.

###############

Gillian noticed that Cal left the office early that day, but late enough that she knew he wasn't coming back. She tried to call him before heading home, but she just got his voicemail. Two more phone calls, three unanswered text messages, and a mountain of paperwork later, she decided to confront him face to face. If he was going to ignore her, she was going to make it hard for him.

She parked her car in his driveway and calmly walked to the front door.

As she stood there, just before knocking, Gillian felt very confused. It had become apparent to her throughout the years she'd been divorced that Cal had no interest in her. He had countless one night stands, continued to sleep with Zoe, and had a general disregard for her. So why was he trying to change the rules now? She had long ago packed away her feelings for him and locked them up, never to see the light of day again. When he proposed they have sex with no strings attached, she figured that was the best thing she would ever get with him, so she accepted. And now she had no idea what was happening.

After knocking on the door, Emily's smiling face greeted Gillian and told her Cal could be found in the dining room, sulking and working like usual.

Gillian smiled at her and muttered, "Thanks, Em." She rested her hand on the girl's arm briefly before heading off to find Cal.

She spotted him with his glasses on, looking over whatever was on his computer screen with great attention.

_I really love those glasses_, she thought to herself.

"I've been calling you all evening," she finally said.

He looked up over the rims of his glasses and said flatly, "I've been ignorin' you."

She nodded to herself, and asked, "Can we talk please?"

"Go ahead," he said as he threw an arm over the back of his chair and put on as casual a look as he could manage. It wasn't enough though. She could see the heart-break behind his eyes. She had no idea his heart was so involved. Or maybe she did, and she just chose to ignore it.

"Somewhere more private?" she requested.

Cal stood, grabbed her arm, and hurriedly ushered her out the front door where they stood in the cold air on his front porch.

"Seriously, Cal?" she inquired, not believing how childish he was beginning to act.

"Here or no where," he stated matter-of-factly.

She gave him an indignant look. He shrugged, re-entered his house, and closed the door behind him as he walked back to his dining room, leaving her standing alone in the cold.

Emily walked past, confused to see Gillian once again standing outside their front door and said, "Dad? Why is Gillian outside again?"

"Leave it alone, Em," he said with warning.

Seeing Gillian walking back to her car she said, "Dad, she's–"

"I said leave it alone!" he yelled with anger.

She felt her insides jump at his tone, and she instinctively headed back upstairs, knowing full well this was an evening to stay out of her father's line of fire.

###############

Gillian decided to lay low for a few days and see if things would blow over. They didn't. Cal was lashing out at anyone who crossed him, being rude with clients, and acting downright nasty toward Gillian. Eli and Ria had taken up refuge in the lab, bringing in a spare coffee pot from home so they didn't have to visit any common areas of the office. Ria felt bad for Eli simply knowing he might run into Cal in the bathroom.

Finally, Gillian had had enough. The brutalization had to stop.

She lightly knocked on his door, which was open, and stepped inside.

He glared at her, but otherwise failed to acknowledge her presence in his office.

"I want to apologize to you," she said.

Nothing, no response from him. He just kept staring at his computer screen, clicking away and typing something. What she didn't know was that he was training his cameras on her, watching without her knowledge.

_Doubt,_ he thought to himself. _Nervousness._

He watched through his monitor as she examined her nails and shifted her weight to her other leg, still revealing nothing on his face.

"I made a mistake," she confessed. He looked right in her eyes on the monitor as they darted back and forth to his eyes that, from where she stood, appeared not to be looking back at her. She bit the inside of her cheek, and her face went desperate like she was losing all hope. With that, he closed his computer, and walked toward her. He wanted to see this in person.

Without saying a word, he walked toward her with so much force, she thought he was going to charge straight through her; but she stood her ground and only pulled her head back slightly. The callousness in his eyes was almost enough to make her wince, but she held it inside.

Swallowing she said, "If we could have that conversation again…" She trailed off before continuing barely above a whisper, "I wish we could have that conversation again."

Wondering what she had in mind, and completely amused that she seemed to think she would change what she had done, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her back to the exact spot in the office hallway where it happened.

Pushing her with gentle force against the wall, he stepped into her, leaving barely enough space for daylight to shine between their bodies, and his nose an inch from hers.

Looking directly in her eyes with something that seemed so desperately mean, he repeated his question that he'd asked after she denied his kiss: "Why not?"

"People could see," she repeated her response, more calmly than before.

Cal scoffed at her, becoming infuriated that they were having the exact same conversation, with the exception of their tones – hers more level, his more angry.

"Why does it matter?" he asked, anger and thick accent dripping off his words.

She swallowed. _Just like last time_, he thought as his eyes bore into hers.

"Because," she said, pausing, "that means you don't care if people see." He narrowed his eyes slightly at her as she finally deviated from their script. "And if you don't care if people see, then I don't know what that means," she said, letting the uncertainty she was feeling be reflected in her eyes.

He drew his face back from hers slightly, giving her room to breathe. He noticed she took a deep breath, and he tipped his head to the side in consideration, wondering if he always suffocated her like that. He looked over his shoulder when he saw her eyes quickly flick to a moving target and then look at the floor. He saw some unnamed intern walk past, and he considered how much this was affecting her.

Finally speaking he said, "It means I don't care if people know I'm fuckin' you."

Looking up at him angrily, she replied, "I don't think that's it at all."

"Oh no? You gonna tell me what I think now, Miss Psychologist? You gonna crawl around in my brain for a while and see what kind of shit rubbish you can dig up?" he mocked.

"I don't think it has anything to do with what you _think_," she replied, knowing she was treading on dangerously thin ice and not caring. The fact that he was now swearing at her had her completely furious.

"Let me guess. It's about what I _feel_, right?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her, the mocking full-blown.

"Maybe," she said confidently. "I was going to refer more to your science though."

He licked his lips, waiting to hear what kind of attack she had for him, leaning his face back in toward hers again and daring her to continue.

"It's about things I chose to ignore."

"Enlighten me," he said through gritted teeth.

"It's about the look on your face after you've _fucked_ me senseless," she said angrily, offended that he would even use that word to refer to what they had been doing. Despite their agreement, it was always more than that to her. As she used his words, she pushed herself off the wall into a more powerful position, causing amusement to spread over his face as he stood still, not letting her move more than an inch.

"It's about the way you wrap your arms around me when we're finished. It's about the way you kiss me." She looked at his lips, then brought her eyes back to his. "It's about the way your eyes always ask, instead of just _taking_ it." Her eyes darted back and forth between his, waiting for a response.

"So you think I'm soft, is what you're sayin'," he replied.

"I think your heart is more involved than you thought it would be, or you wanted it to be."

He looked at her, considering her words and wondering how true they might be. She was right of course, about at least part of it. One night stands – now those women he fucked. Gillian… No, it had never been that, as much as he'd tried to label it as that in his mind.

"What about your heart?" he asked, a hint of tenderness lacing his question. Her eyes followed another employee that walked past. "Gillian," he said, bringing her eyes back to him and giving her a look that clearly said, 'If you want to change the outcome of this conversation, this is a crucial intersection.'

She took a deep breath and held his gaze as yet another employee walked past, and she swallowed when she saw one walk up to them.

"Dr. Lightman?" the young man asked, clearly nervous to be interrupting. "Umm, I need to ask you a couple questions about these reports."

"Not now," he replied, while giving him a death stare, Gillian never taking her eyes off Cal.

The young man hung his head as he walked away. Cal noticed several people in the hallway with them now and turned his attention back to Gillian.

"Well?" he asked, still waiting for her reply.

Looking up from him and also seeing the people in the hallway, all trying very obviously not to look at their bosses who were nearly pressed against each other, she grabbed his shirt, pulled him toward her and pressed her lips to his in a sweet, lingering kiss. She pulled apart when she felt his hands headed for her hips, grabbing his wrists and saying, "Don't overdue it."

"Right, back to my office then?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Not a chance. I have work to do, and you need to go talk to Robbie."

"Robbie?"

"The guy who has questions on those reports you probably filed incorrectly," she informed him.

He scrunched up his face at remembering the interruption, then asked, "So the secret's out then?"

"I'd say so," she replied.

She patted him on one cheek with her hand, and kissed him on the other cheek, walking away to her office and trying to avoid eye contact with everyone she saw, knowing full well the news had already spread through the office like wildfire.

###############

"You didn't fully answer me," Cal said from the doorway of Gillian's office later that evening.

"About what?" she inquired as she sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Well," he said as he made his way over to sit on her couch, "we know the secret's out, but that doesn't mean the status has changed."

"Do you want it to change?" she asked him.

"I've already told you my thoughts on the matter," he said.

Gillian furrowed her brow. "No, you haven't. What you told me is that you don't care if anyone knows. That doesn't mean it's anything other than sex."

Cal considered her words and tipped his head to the side as he thought. Bringing his eyes back up to hers he said, "You told me you think my heart is more involved than I wanted it to be, and instead of telling me how involved your heart is, you kissed me, letting me know you didn't care if anyone knew."

She smiled as she looked at him and said, "It seems we're both good at dancing around the issue."

Pulling his head upright and centering it on his shoulders, he locked eyes with her and firmly said, "Yes or no: Do you want this to be more than just sex?"

She inhaled slightly and said, "I–"

"Yes, or no?" he asked firmly, cutting her off.

"It's not that simple, Cal," she replied.

"Yes, it is. Just answer the question," he told her. When she didn't reply, he continued: "I can promise you there is a difference," he started as he got up off the couch, "between me just having sex with you, and me having sex with you as my girl." Walking toward her he added, "We've come close a couple times, but I can promise you," he put his hands on either arm rest of her chair and whispered in her ear, "I will blow your mind."

Gillian felt chills roll down her spine. Somehow maintaining some composure, she replied, "Are you trying to entice me with promises of more adventurous sex?"

He shook his head. "Not necessarily more adventurous. Let me show you," he said as he leaned in to her.

He pressed his lips to her like he always did – with lust and want, quick hot kisses that served the purpose of getting them aroused and ready for action.

He then asked, "Normal, right?" She nodded in agreement, not really feeling anything beyond his lips on hers and a small stir in her heart she'd learned to ignore, and then he said, "If you were my girl, I'd kiss you like this."

The mere change of the look in his eyes made Gillian's stomach flip. When his lips met hers this time, there was need, passion, and sweet desire. It was soft and gentle, and even as he deepened the kiss, it seemed attentive as he adjusted to what he could tell she wanted.

The first was just a kiss. The second left her feeling connected to him and opened the floodgates to the feelings she had so expertly stuffed deep inside and encased in thick walls.

As he slowly pulled away, she kept her eyes closed for a moment, not believing this part of Cal had been hiding just beneath the surface all along.

When she opened her eyes, she found him looking back at her. She parted her lips, feeling as though she wasn't getting enough oxygen through her nose. Maybe it was because he was so close still and suddenly their relationship was different yet again. Or maybe it was because her stomach felt like it was at the base of her neck. Either way, she found it hard to speak.

Cal stood, wanting to give her some space, and as he turned to walk away she grabbed his wrist and stood up, immediately snaking one arm around him and running her fingers up the back of his neck and into his hair.

She leaned into him again, wanting to see if their second kiss had been a fluke. She was sure there was no way those kinds of sparks could really fly between them; but she was wrong. And this time, with their bodies pressed against each other and his hands roaming her body, the feeling was stronger, the passion was deeper, and their need for each other became painfully obvious.

"Yes," she murmured against his lips as they barely pulled apart.

"Yes, what?" he prodded, wanting to hear her say it so there was no guessing involved.

"Yes, I want more than just sex with you," she stated.

"There's no goin' back," he warned her.

"Why would I ever want to go back from this?" she replied.

Running his finger tips up and down her spine, he said, "Let's go home."

###############

That night, the sex was way more than sex. And Cal was right – he did blow her mind. He put his science to work in the best way she'd yet experienced. He brought her to the brink and back again so many times she was ready to scream – and not in a good way. But when he finally took her there, it was best of her life, both times. He knew exactly what he was doing the whole time, and it was so much more than sex. It was an outward expression of everything they'd been hiding from themselves and each other for as long as they could both remember.

As they lay in bed together, completely spent and breathing heavily, Cal pulled Gillian to him and wrapped his arms around her.

She smiled and snuggled into him as she rested her head on his chest, and said, "That was amazing."

He smiled, completely satisfied with himself and said, "I told you it would be different."

Propping herself up on one elbow so she could look at him, she said, "You didn't tell me you were going to take me to the point of near-internal combustion."

"Didn't I? Coulda swore I disclosed that information," he said as he tapped his chin with one finger thoughtfully.

She playfully punched in him the arm, causing him to say, "Easy now. If I'm injured my performance will be severely affected."

"Aww… Well I'll just have to be on top next time," she said seductively.

"That is something I could go for," he said with a waggle of his eyebrows as he lifted her so she was straddling him.

"Really?" she asked. "You want to go for round three?"

She felt him flex himself beneath her and she said, "I guess you do," and she rolled her hips into him, earning a low groan from deep within his throat. She leaned down to him, placing her hands on either side of his shoulders as she said, "Maybe a little later?"

"Too tired for another round?" he asked.

"Sort of," she said with a smile. "But we've got all the time in the world." Then, looking in his eyes she said, "I'm not going anywhere, Cal."

"You mean for the rest of the evening?" he asked, trailing his fingers up her arms.

"No," she simply replied.

He looked back at her for a moment, before saying, "Promise?"

"I promise," she told him with a brief kiss.

Cal wrapped his arms around her and flipped her over so she was beneath him again and said, "Good. Now are you sure about waiting on round three?"

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><p>The end. : )<p>

Leave me a note on the way out. I'd love to know what you thought!


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